Refold mechanism



B. A. SCHROEDER REFOLD MECHANISM Filed Dec. 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 3l i936.. B. A. scHRol-:DER

REFOLD MECHANISM Filed Dec. 14, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v. K w

KME-@ @fw/f@ Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFOLD MECHANISM Application December 14, 1934, Serial No. 757,571

15 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for folding a strip of fabric into a zigzag folded stack, and

more particularly to a refold mechanism for directing the refolding of continuous-form stationery in the record-compartment of an autographic register.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a, simple mechanism which can be operated in timed relation to the feed mechanism usually provided in a register and will assure refolding of the stationery in the same folds and in the same direction as the stationery had in the supply compartment.

A further object of the invention is to provide presser means which is operated on both ends of the refolding packet and is operated in timed relation to the guiding and feeding mechanism.

No invention is claimed herein in the feeding mechanism per se which is covered by the inventor in other patent applications.

The invention is illustrated in the preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig` 1 is a broken longitudinal sectional View of an autographic register embodying the invention, taken as indicated at line I of Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal sectional View of the mechanism in the record-compartment for operating the chute and presser means taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a broken plan View of the inside of the record-compartment; Fig. 4 a broken sectional View showing a modified form of delivery chute; and Fig. 5 a view similar to Fig. 4 showing another modified form of delivery chute.

In the embodiment illustrated, A designates a casing having a skeleton cover A; B, a stationeryfeeding unit; C, refolding mechanism provided in the record-department of the casing A; and D, presser mechanism which is adapted to be operated by the refolding mechanism C.

The register A may be of the usual sheetmetal construction and is shown provided with a depressed bottom member I0 to alford more clearance in the supply-compartment II and in the record-compartment I2. A transverse `guide yroller I3 is journaled in the front of the supplycompartment and is accessible through a door I4 which is hinged to the casing at I5. The casing is further provided with a platen I6 over which stationery 'strips I1 may be fed from the supply `.packet I8 to the record packet I9 by means of the feed mechanism B.

As Vshown in Fig. 3 the casing is provided 4with `55 a-compartment for a carbon roll 20 to which carbon strips 2| may be supplied in interleaved relation with the continuous-form stationery strips I'I over the platen.

The record-compartment, in the casing A, is located in what we will call the rear of the machine and is provided with a door 22 which is pivoted to the casing at 23 and enables the refolded recordstrip to be removed when desired.

The rear edge of the skeleton cover A is hinged to the casing A at 24 and its rear edge 25 provides a tear-ofi edge for the strip II which is to be dispensed by the machine.

As stated above no invention is claimed in the feeding mechanism B which comprises a feed wheel 26 on a shaft 2l adapted to be driven by a handle member 28 on the outside of the machine. The feed wheel 26 cooperates with a presser roll 29 in feeding one form length of stationery during each revolution of the handle or crank 28. Any suitable jogging means 3D may be provided to keep the forms in perfect registry as is well understood in the art.

The refold mechanism C comprises a chute 3I through which the fabric strip to be refolded is projected into the upper central portion of the record-compartment I2. If desired, the front end of the chute 3l may be fixed to the casing A and its rear end provided with a movable extension 32 which may be journaled on the stationary portion of the chute as indicated at 33. The lower end of the chute is shown provided with a laterally extending stud 34 which is operated by the driving mechanism and may also serve to operate the presser mechanism D. As best shown in Fig. 2 the feed roll shaft 2 is provided with a gear 35 which meshes with and drives a gear 36 journaled on the casing A at 31 and provided with a cam 38. A bell crank member is journaled on the casing at 39 and has an upwardly extending arm 4D provided with a roller 4I in engagement with the cam 38. The lower arm of the bell crank member 42 is urged rearwardly by means of a tension spring 43 and is pivotally connected at 44 to a pitman 45. A rock member 4B is pivoted to the casing at 41 and is driven by the pitman 45 which makes a pivoted connection therewith at 48. The upper end of the rock member 46 is slotted and engaged by the stud 34 so that when the shaft 2 is rotated the delivery end of the extension chute 32 will be moved forwardly and rear- Wardly in timed relation to the feed mechanism.

It may be noted that when the extension chute is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the record-strip is directed forwardly, back on itself, but when it is in the position shown in Fig. 1 it is advanced in substantially the same direction as the stationery passing over the platen. It has been found that better results are obtained if the swinging movement of the extension chute 32 is not uniform towards both ends of the record-compartment. This movement may be changed from a uniform swinging movement to the motion desired by properly designing the cam 38 which makes but one revolution to every two revolutions of the shaft 2T.

The presser mechanism D may comprise forwardly extending skeleton arm 50 bearing a cross bar I and journaled on the casing at 52. A companion presser member has skeleton arms 55 interleaved with the arms 50 and is journaled on the casing at 54. The front ends of the arms 53 provide a cross member 55 and, if desired, the space between the arms 53 and the member 55 may be filled in by guide-plate 55 to prevent any possibility of the strip Il from feeding over the bar 55. As shown in Figs 1 and 2 the arms 59 and 53 are bent to form cam surfaces which are acted upon by the stud 34 when the extension chute is swung back and forth. Thus it will be understood that as 'the extension chute swings towardsv the rear of the machine the rearwardly extending presser arms will be raised and the forwardly extending presser arms will be permitted to drop by gravity and compress the refolded portions of the strip. On the return stroke the action is reversed. It may be noted that the curves in the arms 53 are somewhat different than those in the arm 59 for the same reason that the cam 38 is not a harmonic cam. The offsets 51 in the ends of the arms 53 are provided to enable the presser member to accommodate itself to the depressed floor Ill of the register.

The continuous-form stationery strips Il are provided with lines of weakening which form the junctions between forms and facilitate the zigzag folding. It has been found that the record strips will refold in the record-compartment, with less difficulty, if the folds are in the same direction as they were in the supply compartment. Accordingly, the printed forms, which are numbered consecutively, should be fed into the machine so that the refolding mechanism C willV be in proper position, relative to the feed mechanism, to insure refolding in the same direction as in the supply compartment. To accomplish this the forms are p-rinted so that the even munbers will always appear in the same relative position in the supply packet I8. In order that the operator may know whether the feed mechanism is properly positioned to receive either the even or odd numbered tickets, an indicating device is pro-vided as shown in Fig. 3. It may comprise a wheel 50 provided with a gear 6| which intermeshes with a gear having half as many teeth on the shaft 27. The wheel 6I) is provided with a suitable legend which will show through an opening in the platen and tell the operato-r whether even or odd numbered tickets should be in position over the platen. If desired, a pitman, not shown, may be provided to connect the movable chute to an eccentric on the wheel 6U, in lieu of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Various modifications of the extension chute may be provided. As shown in the modification illustrated in Fig. 4 a pair of resilient arms 52 may be rigidly connected to the rear ends of the stationary chute 63. The arms 62 may provide a chute equipped at its lower end with an operating stud 64. This device will operate by the same mechanism shown in Fig. 2 but will provide a somewhat smoother path for the strip.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the rear end of the stationary chute 55 is provided with a rigidly connected extension chute 66 which may be made of steel spring coiled around a rectangular passageway. It may also be provided with an operating stud 6l. Other modications, such as a telescopic chute, may be employed but are not illustrated herein.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in View of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In an autographic register having a recordcompartment and a platen over which a zigzag folded stationery strip may be fed to said recordcompartment; refolding-mechanism comprising a movable chute through which the stationery is directed to the upper central portion of said compartment; and means for moving the delivery end of said chute alternately towards the front and rear of the compartment.

2. In an autographic register having a recordcompartment. and a platen over Which a zig-zag folded stationery strip may be fed to said recordcompartment; refolding-mechanism comprising a stationary chute through which said strip may be projected to the upper central portion of said compartment; a movable extension on said chute; and driving means for moving the delivery4 end of said extension alternately towards .the front and rear of the compartment.

3. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the extension chute is pivotally mounted on the end of the stationary chute so that the delivery end may be oscillated by the driving means.

4. A device as specified in claim 2, in which the extension chute is flexible transversely of the path of the strip and is rigidly connected to the delivery end-portion of the stationary chute.

5. A refold-mechanism comprising a delivery chute having a movable end adapted to be turned forwardly and rearwardly alternately to direct zigzag folding of a fabric strip projected therethrough; presser-means for compressing folded end portions of the strip; and actuating-means for operating the chute and raising and lowering said presser-means in timed relation to the movement of said chute.

6. A refold-mechanism comprising a delivery chute having a movable end adapted to be turned forwardly and rearwardly alternately to direct zigzag folding of a fabric strip projected therethrough; a pair of movable presser-members mounted so as to compress both folded end-portions of said strip; and actuating-means for turning said chute and operating the presser-members in timed relation to the movement of the chute.

7. In an autographic register having a recordcompartment and a platen over Which a zigzag folded stationery strip may be fed to said recordcompartment; refolding-mechanism comprising a movable chute through which the stationery is directed to the upper central portion of said compartment; a pair of presser-members journaled in the upper portion of opposite ends of the compartment and extending downwardly across said compartment to engage refolded endportions of said strip; and actuating-mechanism for moving said chute and raising and lowering said presser-members alternately in timed relation to the movement of the chute. Y

8. A register as specified in claim 7, in which each of the presser-members has skeleton arms journaled in the record-compartment, said arms being interleaved with the arms of the companion member, and the chute is equipped with a stud which is adapted to engage said arms and operate the presser-members.

9. A register as specied in claim 7, in which one of the presser-members is provided with a deflector adapted to engage a refold-portion of the strip and guide it into position beneath the presser-member.

10. A register as specied in claim 7, in which the actuating mechanism comprises cam-means for moving the delivery end of said chute.

11. An autographic register comprising: a casing having a platen, a record-compartment, a supply-compartment and feed-mechanism for feeding a zigzag folded strip of continuous-form stationery from said supply-compartment to the record-compartment; and refold mechanism in said record-compartment comprising a movable chute through which said strip is projected by the feed-mechanism into the upper central portion of said compartment, and actuating-means for moving the delivery end of said chute alternately towards the front and rear of the compartment in timed relation to the operation of said feedmechanism.

12. A register as specied in claim 11, in which the refold mechanism includes a pair of pressermembers journaled in said compartment and adapted to be raised and lowered from the refolded end-portions of stationery strip by the actuating-means in timed relation to the movement of said chute.

13. A register as specied in claim 11, in which the actuating mechanism comprises a cam-gear driven by the feed-mechanism, a bell-crank journaled in said compartment and having one arm engaging said cam and another provided with a pitman, a rock-member journaled in the compartment and connected to said pitman, and a stud on the delivery-end of said chute making a lost-motion connection with said rock-member.

14. A register as specified in claim 11, in which the chute comprises a stationary portion and a flexible extension mounted thereon.

l5. An autographic register comprising: a casing having a platen, a record-compartment, a supply-compartment and feed-mechanism for feeding a zigzag folded strip of continuous-form stationery from said supply-compartment to the record-compartment; and refold mechanism in said record-compartment comprising a movable guide-member adapted to direct a foldable endportion to the rear end of the compartment, a movable presser-member at the rear end of said compartment adapted to compress the folded end-portions'of the stationery thereat, and means for raising and lowering said presser-member in timed relation to the movement of said guidemember.

BERNARD A. SCHROEDER. 

